The Gunners by by Rebecca Kauffman

As you begin reading The Gunners you are quickly swept into the world of six-year-old Mikey Callahan on the day he discovers he has no sight in one eye. Mikey’s father, ‘a man of dark and quiet emotions’, doesn’t follow up with an eye test, and Mikey carries on as before. He lives an undemanding life, not really engaging with the kids around him - until he meets Sally on the bus and the two become friends. Live-wire Alice invites Sally and Mikey to join the Gunners, a group of kids who hang out together in a run-down house with a reputation for being haunted.

The story flips forward twenty-plus years as Mikey learns that he’s slowly turning blind and soon after that, the bombshell that Sally has killed herself. Sally had cut herself off from her friends when they were sixteen, and the group broke up. Oddly enough, Mikey, Sam, Jimmy, Alice and Lynn still keep in touch with occasional emails.

The five friends decide to meet up after the funeral, and feelings of guilt emerge as each tells the story of their relationship with Sally. Long hidden secrets which have caused lingering distress bubble up over the evening, although an even bigger secret is saved until last.

The Gunners seem an unlikely bunch of friends – they are all so different, although perhaps it is that they are all needy in some way that is the glue that keeps them together. Kauffman does a terrific job of describing childhood friendship in a way that is instantly recognisable – the dares, the odd bursts of jealousy, the one-upmanship.

But it is Mikey, the really nice guy who has so few people in his life who really pulls at the heartstrings. Mikey is the main narrator in the story, and we follow his solitary existence, his awkward relationship with his father, his talent for cooking. I devoured this book, wanting something wonderful for Mikey who is so deserving of happiness without trying to find it for himself.

Rebecca Kauffman’s writes with apparent simplicity, with scenes that interconnect to link the different experiences of Mikey and his friends, and the past to the present. With memorable characters and well developed themes around guilt, loyalty and the true meaning of love, this novel gives you lots to think about long after you turn the last page.

Posted by JAM

Catalogue link: The Gunners

The One-in-a-Million Boy by Monica Wood

The One-in-a-Million Boy is a story of friendship and redemption, and the way life can be utterly unpredictable in the most tragic but also wonderful ways.

The boy – do we ever learn his name? – is the eleven-year-old scout sent to help Ona Vitkus with chores around her property. In particular, she needs help filling up the many bird feeders she has in her garden. Ona is a hundred and four, a source of fascination for the boy, who has Guinness Book of Records plans for her, including being the oldest licenced driver.

The boy is supposed to visit ten times to earn a badge, but suddenly stops visiting after only a few. Imagine Ona’s surprise to find Quinn, the boy’s itinerant musician father, on her doorstep, determined to finish what his son began. Quinn is plagued by guilt at not being a better father, and he and Ona begin an unusual and gently bantering friendship.

The One-in-a-Million Boy is a beautiful novel, with quirky, oddball characters, a quietly meandering storyline, and a smattering of feel-good humour. There are insights from the music scene, its demands and promises of glory, from the Tin Pan Alley years of Oma’s song-writing husband to the jobbing guitarist life led by Quinn.

Meanwhile Ona’s story is revealed in short recordings made by the boy and we realize that her life’s course has been changed by several chance encounters. When Ona meets Quinn, both feel the need to put right things that happened in the past and the road trip they embark on is full of humorous and desperate moments.

Monica Wood’s novel had me hooked from page one and left me with characters that are hard to forget. You could describe this novel as heart-warming in the way it deals with grief and forgiveness, but that might make it sound saccharine and preachy. It is anything but. Ona’s sharp, no-nonsense observations are a breath of fresh air and all the characters seem to be sprung from real life. This is a charming and original novel you won’t want to miss.

Reviewed by JAM

Catalogue link: The One-in-a-Million Boy